


We'll meet after the end of the world

by bunnybinnie



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Developing Friendships, Dialogue Heavy, End of the World, Gen, Hwang Hyunjin-centric, Mild Gore, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Survival, Unreliable Narrator, doctor!seungmin, felix uses they/them pronouns, gladiator fights
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27270529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunnybinnie/pseuds/bunnybinnie
Summary: After the world has ended, all Hyunjin wanted was to survive with his dog. He never expected to meet those who would become his family.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 66





	1. Chapter 1

Hyunjin was lazily searching through an old market, putting water bottles and food in his backpack, when Kkami started yapping from afar. He threw the can he was holding in his bag before joining his dog as quietly as possible. The dog stopped when he saw him, instead running towards him. Hyunjin took out his axe, ready to attack the zombie that had entered his shopping zone.

He breathed in, his fingers slowly tapping the handle before he jumped out of his hideout, his axe breaking the dead’s skull open. Kkami started barking again, high pitched yaps to signal the presence of another rotter. Hyunjin looked around and gasped when he realized how many of them were suddenly coming for them out of nowhere. Shit, it was supposed to be safe, where did they all come from? He took a step back, quickly thinking. It was possible, but highly dangerous. They were a _lot_ and that street was quite narrow. He decided for the emergency exit.

Hyunjin ran back inside, closing the glass doors behind him and locking it with an abandoned bat, before making sure Kkami was following him. He ran all the way to the back door exit, panicking when he couldn’t open it; he regained hope as he laughed to himself when he realized there was a push button on the wall next to him to open it. He pressed it hard, pushing the door open.

He managed not to scream when all he saw in front of him was dead people. Well, way too alive dead people. He closed back the door in a heartbeat, but one of them had gotten in the middle of it. He cussed, aiming to cut off that dead arm. It fell in a disgusting wet noise and he was thankful the weight the zombies were pushing onto the exit door had forced it close. He sighed. There were a lot more of them behind that emergency exit than at the front door. He didn’t really have a choice, did he?

He taped his thigh so Kkami knew he had to stay right behind him. He turned around and walked up to the entrance. He stared at all those cannibalistic monsters outside, wincing at their throaty breathing sounds. Their weirdly articulated limbs were hitting the glass doors, some were desperately trying to bite in hope to eat fresh meat. It was a miracle the door was still standing, though cracks were starting to form in worrying noises.

“It’s gonna be intense, my boy,” he said to his dog, giving him a light pat on the head. “You gotta stay behind, okay?”

Hyunjin took a deep breath before throwing the bat away and taking a huge step back. The door broke open, the first line of undead falling on the floor and on themselves.

“Phew. Let’s get it.”

He cut off hands, he cut off arms, he cut off legs, broke some head open or just cut halfway through necks. Nasty thick black blood was squirting when he attacked them, wet sounds almost as noisy as their weird roars. Even if he was doing quite well at the moment, Hyunjin was getting tired and the more he killed, the more he was struggling to get his axe out of them. He was getting vulnerable and they were way too numerous for him.

He loudly gasped when something pulled on his leg, making him fall to the ground. He gave a death glare at that one zombie that was nibbling on his shoe and gave it multiple hard hits, trying not to scream in pain because of how hard his back had hit the metallic cans in his backpack. And when one of the zombies fell on top of him, he heard barking noises from outside. Trying to keep the hungry mouth from him, he glanced at where Kkami was supposed to be, his eyes only meeting an empty spot.

“No,” he whispered to himself, worry growing instantly in him.

He managed to pull the zombie off him, rolling on the floor to get away from them in order to get back up. Once standing, he noticed that from those he hadn’t killed already, a vast majority of them were following the yapping sounds that were now getting fainter and fainter. He bit his lips, nervousness and fright making knots in his stomach.

With his boots, he smashed one of the decaying heads, almost slipping on the mix of blood and brain before yanking his weapon in a quick move, killing two of them in a short amount of time, enough for him to pass through the barrier of dead creatures and running from those that were still trying to devour him alive.

He tried looking for Kkami, only to realize that if he ever followed that herd after what he had just been through, he was most likely to die. He had already been fighting them out of spite only because they would have knocked down that glass door sooner or later. The barking had stopped. Closing his eyes, he chased the tears that wanted to spill on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, Kkami.”

He took a shaky breath, running towards the opposite side. He ran and ran, ignoring the pain coming from his side at each breath, only focused on getting the hell out of that shit hole. He stopped running only when his legs were about to fall under his own weight. He had run through an avenue, before going back into alleyways. They were very maze-like, and it was easy to get trapped, but they also hid the best places, like that small hotel. It didn’t look very fancy; chances were that it had been one of those low-cost hotels before everything went down.

Hyunjin broke the door open, his hands tight around his axe’s handle. He looked everywhere, making sure each one of the living dead that were inside were dead. The hotel was quite small, so it didn’t take that much time. He checked the kitchen and killed one of them. He checked the entrance and dining room, only finding abandoned items that had no values anymore (if they even had one to begin with). He went to the first floor, knocking at each door and trying to open them. They were all locked, with no exception. Same went for the second floor. Some doors seemed to have trapped zombies behind them.

After securing the entrance, he took the key card of the first bedroom that was, one, not a zombie cage, and two, surrounded by what sounded like empty rooms as well. The bedroom was composed of only a single bed in the centre of the room, with small windows that opened on another building. There was no bathroom, but luckily there was one for each floor and it was cleared.

Hyunjin let go of his backpack, letting himself fall on the bed. The mattress was shitty, but it was more comfortable than any place he had been sleeping at since he had left his flat. His whole body was hurting, and he was exhausted from going down that adrenaline high.

He cried himself to sleep, promising that he’d go out to search for Kkami tomorrow at the crack of dawn.


	2. Chapter 2

When Hyunjin woke up, his mouth was dry like he had eaten sand the night before and his face felt like a water balloon. He yawned, stretching his limbs, and making some of them crack. He stared at the window; the sun hadn’t fully risen yet.

He stayed like this for ten minutes if he trusted the watch on his wrist. After that, he drank some water and ate half a bag of almonds before going to the bathroom. When he was fully awake and ready to go, he went outside, ready to search through the whole city if that was needed.

He walked and walked, killing some rotter here and there. He tried calling Kkami’s name, but there was the risk of attracting a lot of them by making so much noise. He went back to the small market, but no dog to be seen, only a pile of dead bodies. He didn’t let it break him and decided to go back where they had last slept.

He went back to the movie theatre, fists hitting hard on the doors to check if there were any walking dead bodies in there before going in. He called for Kkami, looking where the dog could have been hiding, but quickly realized it was as empty as they had left it (except for those three monsters that had gotten stuck at the ticket machines).

He checked his watch; it was already almost 11 in the morning. He sighed, trying not to panic. If he panicked, he would have less chance to find his dog. He had to stay calm, even if he wanted to freak out and scream.

He kept on walking and going back to every place they had stayed at all day long, only coming back to the hotel when it was getting too dark to stay outside. All he had found was a huge bicycle lock that he thought would be good for the hotel door. He felt like staying there for a bit, so it needed to stay secure.

After checking that the building was still how it was that morning, he went back to his room and ate a can of cold peas. Not having his furry companion by his side really was truly a weird experience. Hyunjin felt lonelier than ever, and the idea of Kkami being alone out there was enough to make him want to puke his dinner.

Kkami was his best friend after all, his brother even. He had sort of grew up with the tiny dog, and he truly had a special bond with him, maybe more now than ever. He was all he had left; he was his family. Kkami was probably the reason why he was still alive to this day, long after the world had gone completely shit. When his dad fell sick and got taken to the hospital, it had already been heart-breaking. He could still remember how scared he was for his father, knowing full well how under-staffed every hospital were and how there were too many people getting transported there to get treatment. Treatment that was completely ineffective.

Then, there had been the breakout. It had started off with attacks at the hospital, nurses and doctors getting suddenly assaulted by their dead patients until they all realized they were being eaten alive. It hadn’t taken long for the whole world to live through Armageddon, since the virus was already everywhere.

Kkami had helped him find a reason to survive after his mom died. If only he hadn’t been stupid back then, maybe she would still be alive to this day. Hyunjin knew he would never forgive himself for putting himself stupidly in danger, his mom saving his life in exchange of her own. That damn dog was family, and Hyunjin would never leave his family behind. He’d keep looking for him everywhere, he’d roam around the whole city to have Kkami back.

A week passed, and still no trace of the chihuahua. Hyunjin refused to lose hope. Day after day, weeks after weeks, he kept on looking everywhere, trying each back alleys, calling his name in so many buildings and structures he had more than once found himself needing to get away from way too many creatures. He would leave food in places they’d often go to, like that small park near his childhood school.

There went a month, a month and a half, two months. Hyunjin didn’t want to admit it, but hope had started crumbling some while ago. One day, he woke up and went scooting for food. He didn’t search for his dog. He didn’t know yet, but it was the first time out of many other ones.

He stopped actively looking for him. Sure, sometimes, he’d hear some sounds and just check if it could be him, but he never truly believed it. He learnt to live by himself, to just rely on himself not to die. He realized he had accepted Kkami could be dead when he noticed he’d finish his meals without leaving a small portion for the dog to eat as well. He had broken the very last habit that still linked them.

Life became a routine. He would sleep, eat, go out when he was running out of stock, sometimes wash himself with the freezing cold water of the bathroom (that was a blessing). He was still alive, but he felt empty. Every day were the same, it was like being stuck in a time loop.

When he feared that he was losing his mind, he decided to spice things up. So, he opened all the bedroom doors and killed the undead that had been waiting for the blissful day they would have the chance to try and bite into his skin. When the scent of death was all he could smell, and his clothes and skin were blood-stained with pieces of bones sticking to the fabric, he let himself cry.

He wept until his eyes were puffy and red, until his stomach hurt, and snot was covering his face. And when he had cried enough, he sat there, staring at his reflection in the dirty standing mirror. He pursed his lips; how deeply he despised himself.

“That’s your fucking fault,” he spat. “Everything’s your fucking fault. You don’t deserve shit.”

How therapeutic it would be, to punch that damn face. How great it would feel, to smash it into a wall. To see it bruised and broken. But he did none of that. Instead, he left the room and locked all the doors as if nothing had happened. Life went on, sort of. To be fair, he was barely there. He started missing the raspy sounds of the zombies.

When he had had enough of this life, he left without a glance back.


	3. Chapter 3

It was a weird experience, to be able to walk on the bypass. Back then, when the world had started breaking down, his family didn’t try to leave the city. His mom thought it was best to wait in their flat, at least until the craziness outside would die down a little. At the end of the day, Hyunjin moved out only after his mom’s passing. He couldn’t bear living in a space that held so many memories of a world that he wouldn’t see again.

And maybe she had been right, he thought, seeing all those abandoned cars littering the road. He had met a few zombies on the way, sometimes he had killed them, others he had just avoided them. Most of them were on their own, wandering like lost puppies. He had had a few frights here and there, when some of them had died and came back to life trapped in their cars, their teeth suddenly hitting the windows.

He had been walking for so long he had lost track of time, stopping only at night and sleeping with an eye open in empty cars. He’d spend hours, lying on the back seats, wishing he was asleep, only to be kept awake by the trailing sound of the walkers. He was getting used not to let his body physically react to fear, instead bottling it in so he wouldn’t be noticed.

At one point, he followed the highway towards a smaller town, hoping to find a warm shelter since the digits were quickly going down day after day. Hyunjin kept on walking, ignoring the pain that was throbbing in his legs and back. It felt like the road was stretching under his feet, keeping him stuck on a never-ending road. The melted snow that was falling from the sky really was the cherry on top.

His pace had significantly slowed down, and he had blisters bleeding in his socks. He was walking with a limp; every step was painful, making him wince and kind of wish he could cut off both of his feet. His stomach made an alarming sound and he looked in his backpack, only to get violently reminded that he had only some crackers to eat left.

“Fucking shit,” he mumbled under his breath. His eyes lingered on the open fields, behind the guardrail. If there was nature, then there was for sure something edible somewhere, right?

Blowing on his hands to keep them warm, he went into the fields. The grass was almost at knee-level, wetting his clothes and feet. He felt like a moving ice cube. He walked up to the forest’s edge, entering it with very little hesitation.

After a while, when the melted snow transformed into snow, he thought that _maybe_ going into the forest to search for food right during the first snow of the year wasn’t his best idea. Mh, he couldn’t really be mad at people who used to mock townies and their stupidity. He definitely was one.

“I’m dumb as fuck,” he snorted, only because his next best reaction would have been to scream at himself. His city-dweller ass couldn’t hunt for shit, at least not with those blisters leaking on his feet.

But he still tried, those crackers definitely not being enough. Yet, that night, he slept with only those in his stomach. At first, he had thought of climbing in a tree to sleep, before his mind pictured him falling off the branch. With how lucky he currently was, he wouldn’t be surprised, and he didn’t want to play with fire.

Hyunjin sighed, wishing he could just disappear out of this world. So, when he found a tiny creak he almost screamed in joy. His watch only showed 5:30pm, yet it was already turning dark. He couldn’t hope for better anyway. He buried himself deep into the inlet, thanking the sky that it was big enough for his whole body to fit in.

That first night in the forest sure was one of the longest in his life. He had been dozing off all night long, only sleeping for a few minutes here and there but never falling into a deep slumber. Each noise would startle him, fear stirring his guts when he imagined all the monsters that only waited to turn him into one of them. Was it a rotter walking right above his head?

He got out of his wet hole as soon as the first rays of sun hit the ground. He carefully checked the surroundings before entirely getting out, his body getting distorted in weird ways. He stretched, a long yawn coming out sounding more like a moan.

He looked around, staring right into nothingness. He drank some water that he had left in his bottle, before filling it again in the thin flow of water, small pieces of ice clicking onto one another. Then, his belly grumbled so he went hunting. It took him four hours to even be able to hunt down and kill a tiny rabbit. He felt somewhat sad, skinning the animal and watching the bright red blood colour his hands. Then, it hit him.

“The damn fire,” he sighed. “Fuck this shit, do I even think? Hyunjin, you sure are one hell of an idiot.”

He still ate it. Raw. It wasn’t the best thing in the world, it was even a bit repulsing, but that was better than dying of hunger. He just hoped he wouldn’t get sick.

And that was exactly because of that one thought that he broke into a fit of laughter when he started feeling sick, and needed to go to the bathroom _now_.

“I’m a fucking joke to you, isn’t it?” He said to no one, hysterically laughing as he was trying to hide somewhere to do his business. “Fucking hell.”

At least, he felt better afterwards. He drank some water and washed himself, worried that he could be dehydrated after that episode. Killing a few zombies on the way, he tried going back to the highway, or at least to go out of that forest and maybe find a town or a village because he clearly wasn’t made to live in the outdoors.

He was lost. He was fucking lost. Even if he wanted to go back to his last spot, he couldn’t. Night fell, and it was snowing again. He was freezing. He tried climbing up a tree, but his legs and hands were so cold he had trouble moving them around. He eventually gave up, sitting against the tree.

He spent yet another night dozing off every few minutes to wake up not long after, spending the night monitoring every sound he’d hear. He brought his legs against his chest, keeping his weapon tight in his hands, yet trying to keep them warm. The skin had cracked on the joints.

After a while, he stopped shivering. The entirety of his body was numb, and all he wanted was to sleep. Not for a long time, just enough to rest his eyelids. They were so heavy, after all. What harm could it do?

Hyunjin was about to fall asleep for the first time in what could just be days or weeks, when he heard noises. He weakly jolted awake, eyes scanning the forest but unable to see very far. He tried to move, he didn’t want to fight so if there was a rotter he just wanted to run away, but even that was draining. His legs and arms were stiff like he was made of wood. He stared at the silhouette slowly walking towards him, unable to flee. He really was about to die, huh? Just like that.

“I don’t want to die,” he whispered. The tears felt hot on his cold skin. “I don’t wanna go,” he repeated, scared to death at what was about to happen to him.

What happened next was a blur.


	4. Chapter 4

When Hyunjin woke up, he didn’t remember falling asleep. His mind was foggy, and he had a headache like a truck had ran over his skull. Even blinking seemed like the hardest thing in the world. He looked down and was even more confused when he saw that he was carefully wrapped inside a foil blanket. It definitely wasn’t his. 

He was lying on a fold up bed. The walls were bare, except for that one deer head poking. Some cutlery was drying on the cupboard, next to a sink and stove. There were two unfolded chairs and a small table, a cup still on it like it had been abandoned. In a corner of the room, there was a heater and another fold up bed. Where the fuck was he?

The door suddenly opened, startling him. Walking logs entered what seemed like a cabin, before the logs were put next to the heater, revealing a person. Hyunjin cleared his throat, making the stranger turn around with a cocky smile on their face.

“Ah, you’re alive, that’s nice. And your face has normal colours, too. That’s reassuring, not gonna lie. I’ll kill you here and now if you start grunting, though.”

“Who are you and where are we?” Hyunjin asked, coughing a bit as his voice sounded foreign to him. His throat was hurting a bit like he had eaten a hedgehog.

“Damn, not even a thank you. I saved your ass, you know.”

“I was doing okay, didn’t need anyone’s help.”

The other guy scoffed, Hyunjin didn't like that attitude one bit.

“Yeah, you were doing okay dying of hypothermia,” he spat back.

He could still remember how frozen he was. He couldn’t even feel his hands. Maybe the weirdo had a point.

“Did I pass out?”

The guy handed him a steaming hot bowl of soup. He took it with both hands, slightly tilting his head as he thanked him.

“Hell yeah, you did. You were mumbling some stuff; you weren’t making any sense to be honest. But since you were talking,” he sat on a chair and gave a disappointed look inside the abandoned cup, “I figured you were still human. I don’t see a lot of us, nowadays. Brought you here, you blacked out on the way. You’re heavy as shit, bro. You were out for what? A whole day?”

They remained in silence, Hyunjin sipping the soup and savouring each drop like it was a god-send gift. He looked through the window, and assumed they were in the middle of the woods. It was still snowing.

“Thank you,” Hyunjin finally said.

“There you go,” the guy smiled brightly. “I’m Jisung, by the way.”

“Hyunjin.”

“Well, lemme tell you one thing Hyunjin,” Jisung leaned over, “you’re stupid.”

“Hey!”

“Nu-huh, we both know I’m right. Come on, I found you half-dead in the snow, almost shitting yourself,” Hyunjin’s face fell. “You’ve got some nasty blisters as well; I don’t even know how you were still walking dude.”

“Please tell me I didn’t.”

“You’d like to know, huh. Anyway. You can stay here until your feet don’t look like they’re gonna fall off if you make like one step. After that, I want you gone.”

“So, you found me lost in the woods and you’re planning on getting me lost again? That’s counter-productive, if you ask me.”

Jisung rolled his eyes.

“I’ll walk you to the road, after that it’s _adiós_. That’s French for goodbye.”

“Pretty sure that’s Spanish,” Hyunjin snickered.

“My roof, my rules.”

Hyunjin laughed before getting serious again, as if laughing were prohibited.

“I didn’t laugh. You’re not funny.”

“You’ve got a death wish, haven’t you?” Jisung threatened him with a wooden spoon, though he was holding in a smile (but failing a bit, seeing how the corners of his lips were shaking).

“Hey,” Hyunjin grew serious. “Why did you save me?”

Jisung seemed to think, walking back and forth in the small cabin before throwing some wood into the heater. He then sat on the fold up bed, sighing loudly.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

That made Hyunjin think. Would have he done the same if he had been in Jisung’s position? Would he have come and save a perfect stranger, without even knowing if they were bitten or not, or would he have just let them die? He couldn’t know, but something told him he would have them let down, just like he had let everybody down. Because where Hyunjin was, there was death. He was like a messenger of bad omen, only lacking a huge black cloak and a pet crow.

A whole month passed. His feet weren’t completely healed yet, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had gotten. He could walk and run without limping. That was good enough for him to go to the nearest town, like his original plan was.

He put his boots on, then his coat and put on the hood. With his backpack on his back and his weapon attached to his belt, he was ready to go. He went outside the cabin and followed Jisung’s footprints in the snow, finding him coming back with two hares and a squirrel.

“I think today’s dinner gonna be deli-, what are you doing?”

“Thank you for saving my life and helping me. I’m all patched up now, so I’ll go. I’ll wait for you outside, so you can put away the food, then we’ll go to the road, like you said,” Hyunjin said, slightly bowing.

“Oh.”

“I’m very grateful, though, and it was n-“

“You should stay a bit longer,” Jisung suddenly cut him off, his fingers playing with the fur of the dead rabbits.

“What? Why? You wanted me gone.”

“Mmm, still do. But winter’s not over. It’s cold as fuck, even if you manage to find a nice place, it’ll be freezing cold. I have a house, a heater, and food. I didn’t go out my way saving you so you can die like a month later damn, fuck this shit, come on man. Respect my work.” Hyunjin definitely considered the offer.

“Then teach me how to hunt. I wanna be useful if I stay here. I want to earn it.”

“Okay crocodile dundee, but not today,” Jisung threw him one of the rabbits he was holding. “You cook, tonight. I’ll go check the water tank; it’s been a while since the last time it rained.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Hyunjin replied. Jisung gave him a pat on the shoulder. “Can’t wait for some private lessons.” Jisung laughed, walking ahead.

“Don’t give me ideas.”


	5. Chapter 5

Hyunjin was still fast asleep when something touched his face. He jolted awake, his hand searching for something but never finding it. He let out a long, relieved sigh, when he noticed it was only Jisung.

“Not gonna lie, I’m quite relieved you don’t have your axe next to your bed,” he said with an awkward laugh.

“Why did you do that? If it had been there, I would have killed you, are you insane?”

Jisung shrugged before answering.

“A man of violence, you are. That’ll be handy soon. Get ready, we’re gonna teach you a thing or two.”

Walking under the snow alongside Jisung, Hyunjin was still a bit sleepy. He wasn’t a morning person, and his night clearly was not over yet. He was regretting his words when he was forced to listen to Jisung talking about prints and traps. It was interesting, but not at 7 in the morning.

“Are you even listening?” Jisung asked him out of the blue.

“Mh? Well, yeah, you said… uhm. You were talking about uhm, hunting snares? And uhm, yeah,” Hyunjin licked his lips, feeling a bit awkward about being caught not listening to what Jisung was telling him.

“You weren’t listening. You need to focus. The animals, they won’t wait for you to kill them. You gotta be fast, you gotta aim right; or else you’ll die of hunger, or worse.”

“Worse?”

“Yeah. Start daydreaming for a second, and you become a free meal for the infected. Always listen, to everything, everywhere. Focus on yourself, ‘cause no one else will,” Jisung pointed his finger at him, “it’s you, or them. You won’t get any help, okay? People don’t care. They’ll let you die in front of their eyes while you’ll be begging them to save your ass.”

Jisung stopped talking, heavily breathing. His face was stern, lips pursed, and brows furrowed. His finger pointing at Hyunjin’s chest turned into a light tap. He nodded, like to put an end to the discussion.

“Let’s just head home for now.”

Hyunjin nodded too, following him. They walked back to the cabin in complete silence if it wasn’t for Jisung’s constant sniffling.

“Are you okay?” Hyunjin asked, wary.

“Uhm, yeah,” Jisung’s voice cracked. “My nose’s a bit runny from the cold, but I’m fine. You?”

“’m fine. Hey, can I ask something?” No answer. He took that as a yes. “Why did you say people don’t care? I mean, most of them don’t but not all. Like you. You saved me.”

“That doesn’t mean I cared.”

“And now?”

Jisung tsk-ed.

“Now what?”

“Do you? Care, I mean.”

“You talk too m-“

Jisung got quiet. He put a finger on his lips, eyes scanning the woods. Hyunjin looked around, confused. There was nothing. Still, he noticed the way Jisung’s hand was ready to pull out his knife. He decided he’d better be ready to attack, too, just in case.

After a whole minute of perfect silence, Jisung started walking again. Hyunjin relaxed a bit, Jisung didn’t look as tensed. He was talking about some games he used to love, before everything, when Hyunjin heard a noise on his left. He told Jisung about it, who decided he’d check it out since how close it was from the cabin.

He watched him walked away, ready to attack. He disappeared between the trees. Hyunjin was about to go back inside when he heard a scream. He ran where he’d seen the boy go, his weapon in hand. He called for him and followed Jisung’s voice. He found him laying on the ground, struggling against a rotter. His knife was deep inside the zombie’s jaw, and he was using it to manoeuvre the creature and keep it as far away from him as possible. Ready to attack, he went up to them and cut the head open sideways.

“Fucking hell,” Jisung breathed out, throwing the decayed body away.

Hyunjin gave him a hand, helping him stand up.

“Are you hurt?”

“No, no, I don’t think so, I-, fucking hell,” he repeated, pacing back and forth, and clutching at his hair.

“Are you okay?”

Jisung’s eyes opened wide before he went back to his more usual self, making weird hand gestures at himself as he was trying to regain his composure.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just a bit shaken up, I guess. Thank you, by the way. Holy fuck, the fucker was hidden under the snow! It grabbed my ankle, what the hell!”

It took a while for Jisung to feel somewhat relaxed again, but for Hyunjin as well. He had been worried for his host after all. They headed back to the cabin, until the next morning.

From that day on, Jisung took Hunjin outside to hunt in the forest and learn how to be quiet and effective. Jisung made him use his rifle to teach him how to use it, far from the cabin in case they’d attract undead with the noise.

If at first, he had been a bit uneasy at the idea of handling the weapon, he rather quickly got used to it. He wasn’t that bad of a shooter, even. Then, Jisung made him try and kill living animals that they would bring home after cutting it (and sometimes some zombies that were coming at them).

Jisung was more of a small animal killing type, using traps and his knife more than guns - Hyunjin could tell from how often they’d eat rabbits and stuff - but he had deemed important for him to also know how to use a rifle just in case. Until they needed ammo.

Hyunjin wondered if Jisung could be a little insane. The guy made a plan out of scratch, deciding they’d go scout out the nearest town.

“It’s not that far, if we leave early in the morning we can be back before night falls. And I know the city, so we’ll be okay.”

“But what if-“

“No,” Jisung cut him off, his finger swiping left and right, “no what if. Do not even think about the worst-case scenario, focus instead on the plan. And the plan is: trust me, bro.”

“It literally sounds like the shittiest plan ever.”

Jisung looked at him, looking exaggeratedly offended, a hand on his heart.

“I thought we were friends!”

“Are we?” Hyunjin asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

“I meant roommates.”

“Of course, you did,” he scoffed. “When are we going, then?”

“Tomorrow morning, at 6:30.”

Hyunjin glanced at his watch. 9:14 pm. It was about to be a bit of a short night, if he wasn’t asleep very soon.

“Do we really need to leave that early?” He took off some clothes, getting ready for bed.

“Then leave later. I won’t be there to save your frozen ass this time, though.”

“Low blow,” Hyunjin groaned. “I kinda hate you sometimes.”

“Only sometimes? Man, if you’re in love with me just say it,” Jisung slumped in his bed, putting his head on one hand, and winked.

Hyunjin stared at him with a blank face, biting the inside of his cheek not to laugh. He went to bed and turned the other way around without a word.

“I knew you loved me,” Jisung whispered.

“I’m sleeping.”

“Oh yeah right, need that energy to break them rotten bones. Got it. G’night!”

“Mm.”

Hyunjin smiled to himself. Jisung was of nice company, and he could get used to it (he was most likely already used to living with him). He’d never admit it though - at least, not in front of the guy. And maybe, just maybe, he didn’t want winter to end so fast anymore.


	6. Chapter 6

“Are we almost there?”

“Hyunjin, you’ve asked that a trillion times I swear to God, say it one more time and I will cry. That’s a threat, baby.”

Hyunjin childishly pouted, dragging his feet. It felt like they’d been walking for an eternity; it was still dark when they left, and it wasn’t the case anymore. At most, it must have been around 8 am. He was too scared to look at his watch.

He felt relieved when he recognized the road he had been on before getting lost in the woods. They were near the town; the highway’s signs even indicated its name.

“Ah… Infected coming at us, on the left,” Jisung quietly said to him. “Hide or kill?”

Hyunjin looked at them, counting the heads. 6. They could do it, but maybe it was better to ignore them for now.

“Hide.”

Jisung made an ok sign with his hand, pointing at a car before sliding under it. Hyunjin did the same with another car, keeping an eye on his friend. They were sort of facing one another, and locked eyes the whole time. The two of them ready to defend themselves or go help the other if one of them was found by the living dead.

Hyunjin could feel a ball of stress forming in his stomach as he watched the creatures slowly dragging their bodies. The slightest move, the slightest noise and they would end in a more difficult situation. He realized how easy life was back at the cabin, isolated from everything and everyone. There was not a lot of rotter in the forest, or at least they were (most of the time) alone and easy to kill. When it was safe again, the two boys got out of their hideout and kept on walking, wiping the dirt off their clothes.

When Jisung had said he knew the town, he really was not lying. He was taking Hyunjin in every back alleys and shallows streets without ever getting lost in the maze-like town. It didn’t seem as big as where Hyunjin used to live, but it was not small either. It was weird, to see buildings, huge streets, and abandoned cars everywhere you look.

Of course, there were more zombies there; but they made a great team and could easily trap them to kill them without losing too much time on their plan, when they didn’t have the option to just go away without getting noticed.

Hyunjin had followed Jisung through what felt like the whole town, never finding what they wanted no matter where they looked (though Jisung had said he knew the police station would have been emptied a long time ago, and he was right) but still taking some useful stuff here and there, like cans of food.

“Hey, can I ask something?”

Jisung looked at him funny but still said yes, looking at cans laying on the floor like they had been picked and dropped.

“Did you, like, use to live here?”

“It’s that noticeable, huh?”

Jisung was smiling, but his eyes had this veil of sadness that Hyunjin couldn’t miss. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but he knew better than to potentially remind Jisung of tough times.

“I was actually born and raised here.”

“Oh,” Hyunjin only said.

None of them spoke again. They went out of the shop when Hyunjin’s backpack was almost full, and walked through the town.

“Hey, do you mind if I just go... check something?” Jisung asked.

“I guess not.”

Hyunjin sort of understood what Jisung wanted to do when they arrived near a fancy looking residential area. Jisung led the way to an old but luxurious looking house, eyes sparkling as he looked at it. Hyunjin didn’t comment on how much Jisung’s hands were shaking when he opened the door.

They did a house tour, Hyunjin just staring at how happy (yet somehow nostalgic?) Jisung looked. There was something going on that he couldn’t exactly explain, but there was no doubt Jisung had memories there. Jisung opened a door leading to what had been a teenage boy bedroom, judging by the posters on the walls and the school supplies on the ground.

Jisung looked at an empty picture frame and chuckled.

“Can’t believe he took the pic.”

“Who?”

He sighed.

“You don’t have to tell me,” Hyunjin added. His fingers lingered on a dance trophy.

“I knew the guy who lived here.”

“Were you close?” The trophy’s plaque read the name ‘Lee Minho’.

“Oh yeah, defo,” Jisung laughed a bit, but he sounded sad. “We, uhm, had a thing.”

“ _Oh_.”

“Anyway, this wasn’t on the plan. We should get back to work.”

They were walking in the shopping avenue when Jisung spotted a clothes shop.

“Man, this shirt is dope,” he elbowed Hyunjin to show him.

“Do you really think it’s time to do your little shopping?”

“Well, our clothes look like we’ve been through hell. We look like shit. Some fine ass clothes won’t do any harm!”

Hyunjin smiled, snorting.

“Okay, okay, you’re the mastermind here after all,” he said.

“Exactly! Let’s break in!”

Jisung’s enthusiasm was contagious.They looked inside the shop, using their hands to see through the glass without the light’s reflection. All they could see was lines and lines of clothes, mannequins wearing outfits here and there like time had been frozen.

“There’s a lock on the door,” Hyunjin noticed.

“Let’s break it open, then!”

One thing leading to another, they ended up trying on new clothes. They smelled of dust, but that was way better than those clothes that smelled like clothes forgotten in the washing machine mixed with sweat and death.

Both looked up when they heard grunting noises and hitting sounds. They looked at each other before checking the shop.

“Nothing here,” Jisung shouted from across the shop.

Hyunjin passed by the changing rooms. He heard them not too far away. He peeked his head inside, pushing the long curtain with one hand.

His blood turned cold when he saw them, walking aimlessly in the changing rooms with for only separation between the zombies and them, a black curtain. Maybe that’s why the fucking shop had been locked.

But by pushing the curtain away, movements and lights were able to be perceived from inside the booths. Not only they had been heard, but he now has also been seen by them. He ran away from them, his eyes looking for Jisung but he couldn’t see him. He looked behind him; how many of them had been trapped in there?

“Run Jisung!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Where are you?” Jisung’s voice sounded distant.

“Just fucking run! Let’s get out!”

Once outside, Hyunjin quickly looked inside to search for his friend. His heart dropped once again as he saw him struggling against a group of zombies. He wanted to help him, but he was still being followed by a lot of them too.

“Jisung!” He yelled, hitting the shop front.

Jisung looked at him, eyes widened in fear, yet he still made signs at him.

“Run! Go away!” He mouthed at Hyunjin, who shook his head no.

Hyunjin didn’t run away. Instead, he tried breaking the display window to create an escape for Jisung. With his axe, he hit and hit again, in vain. The glass didn’t break, it barely had scratches. However, it made a shit load of noise and creatures were starting to come from all around him.

“Go!” Jisung screamed, his hand shooing him away before going back to fighting against those cannibalistic demons.

“Sorry,” Hyunjin mouthed before running away, killing some zombies here and there. He made himself a way through the forming crowd, barely avoiding them; the whole scene felt like a déjà-vu.

He was not expecting to be grabbed from the side and pulled inside a building, though. He gasped, trying to escape from the hands that were holding him.

“Stay quiet!”

Hyunjin calmed down, realizing they were just people like him.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Why did you make so much noise? You brought them all here!” He asked, clearly angry at him (or maybe he was just scared, he looked quite young after all).

“My friend is still outside, please help me,” Hyunjin didn’t like sounding so desperate, but well… he was.

“There’s no way any of us is going outside now. He’ll have to wait a bit, it’s way too dangerous,” a second guy said, glancing at the first one who was still holding Hyunjin. “It was already a mistake to take you in.”

“But he’s gonna die if we wait!” Hyunjin was almost crying.

The first guy licked his lips before rubbing his face with his hands. He pushed his friend on the side and grabbed something Hyunjin didn’t quite see, throwing himself outside.

“Let’s kill those rats for good and save that guy’s ass.”


	7. Chapter 7

It was hell. The three of them were surrounded by walkers, fighting endlessly, in search of someone they couldn’t even hear. Surviving alone that huge horde, trapped in a shop, it seemed impossible. But Hyunjin believed Jisung could do the impossible because he couldn’t think of any other option. He didn’t want to think of being alone again, to lose yet another person right when it was obvious that he had grown attached to the sassy boy. So, he kept on winging that axe, not even thinking about the pain in his arms after throwing it repeatedly. He didn’t even think about the weird sensation that would come up his fingers each time the steel would break bones, gross wet sounds echoing as black thick blood and body parts would fall on the floor.

The two guys started telling Hyunjin they might need to consider looking for a freshie; after all that time the guy would be long gone; eaten alive if not completely turned. He refused and kept on calling Jisung’s name, louder each time, in hope his voice could be heard on top of all that grunting and throaty screaming. His arms were swinging, like they were moving on their own, breaking jaws and cutting necks; his feet were walking on a graveyard, destroying heads open and making bloody eyes pop out of their orbits; but his own, they were frantically looking for Jisung. He must have been looking insane, screaming and half-assed killing zombies, just praying to hear someone scream back, while two others guys were now trying to get him out of there, telling him it was too late, he’d end up dead too.

But against all odds, from the deads arose a familiar voice.

“Hyunjin?! You came back?!”

He looked around, pushing the zombies away from him so he could see, punching them out of frustration. And, just going out of that damned shop, Jisung was there, looking exhausted and like he had been through hell and back. His face was dirty, and he was covered in brown-ish blood and guts. With his knife, he stabbed a walker that was coming at him, falling over with the corpse.

Hyunjin ran towards him, the two new guys coming along and killing the undead for him so he could focus on helping his friend quick. He pushed the creatures away from Jisung, took his hand and ran back. Jisung could hardly follow, his legs stumbling on themselves like they were wet noodles, yet none of the two gave up. He didn’t want to die, and Hyunjin cared.

“Let’s go back to the GHQ!” One of the guys said, his hand showing them to follow him.

It was only behind closed doors that Jisung let his body fail him. His legs gave up under his weight, Hyunjin catching him right on time to help him sit on the ground instead. He ignored the way the guy that had helped him first was staring at Jisung like he knew something he didn’t.

“Please tell me you’re not hurt,” Hyunjin told his friend, squatting right next to him and holding his hand tight.

“I think my soul left my body.”

Hyunjin laughed, all the stress and fright coming down, leading his laughter to turn into a fit of tears.

“Damn look at that boy, crying because I’m alive! I’m sorry to disappoint you, Crocodile Dundee.”

“No,” Hyunjin smiled, “I’m happy you’re here.”

“I’m happy to be alive too, you have no idea!”

Someone cleared their throat. Hyunjin and Jisung both looked at the two guys, who were just standing there; the older looking one had his arms crossed on his chest.

“Not to ruin your little sappy moment, but now that we’ve risked our lives to save perfect strangers, you can’t stay here,” he said.

“Hey! That’s not fair!” the other replied. “You can clearly see they can’t go back outside, not right now!”

“Why not?”

“For the same reasons you wouldn’t want me to go outside now either!”

The guy’s arms fell onto his sides. It looked like he wouldn’t be able to change that kid’s mind. Jisung stood up, both of his hands up, and interrupted them.

“Don’t worry, we’ll just leave!”

“No, sleep here tonight. Only tonight, am I clear?” the older guy said, shaking his head. “He doesn’t give me a choice when he acts like this, I know he would’ve done it behind my back.”

“Oh, thank god,” Jisung fell back down.

“He’ll lead you to your room. You can’t get out on your own. We’ll stay near. Clear?”

“Very clear. Thank you,” Hyunjin said, helping Jisung get up to follow the baby-faced guy.

In every scenario that could have went through their heads, none of them included some sort of pyjama party with him, whom they had discovered was named Jeongin. They had been talking for hours, exchanging about their lives before Zombie Time™ but also about their current day to day lives. First of all, they had discovered Jeongin wasn’t much younger than them, the guy really was just very much baby-faced (that was probably because of his braces, which he complained about a lot).

“I mean, _who_ gets stuck with braces in the end of the world? Of course, it would be me! As if I could just find myself a zombie orthodontist real quick,” he had said with an exaggerated tone of defeat, hands begging the sky for some mercy.

But the conversation got really interesting when Jeongin mentioned something neither Hyunjin nor Jisung had heard of before.

“Well, we used to be three not so long ago,” he said with a sad smile.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Hyunjin said.

“No no, he’s not dead, at least he wasn’t when he left,” Jeongin snorted. “He wanted to go to uhm, what is it called again- oh yeah, the HSC!”

Jisung tilted his head.

“What’s that?”

“You’ve never heard of that? It’s the Human Survivors Camp!”

Hyunjin and Jisung gasped and looked at each other.

“A camp? With other people?”

“Yup,” Jeongin said, the P popping as his braces showed behind his smile. “Well, supposedly, at least. Chan told him it was lost hope; that the camp would never last and it would end up overridden, like every sedentary camps. That’s why we move a lot, he says it’s safer.”

“Is Chan the mean looking dude that’s trying to eavesdrop right now?” Jisung asked, staring right at the second guy; the latter seemed surprised, before shaking his head and crossing his arms.

“Yup!”

“Did your other friend make it to the camp?” Hyunjin asked.

“I don’t know. I think so, he’s a tough dude.”

Hyunjin nodded, not knowing what to say after all this. He was tired anyway, maybe he’d better sleep a bit. He let his eyes close, hearing without really listening to the ongoing discussion between Jisung and Jeongin.

“Hey Jisung, can I say something that’s gonna sound weird?”

“Sure thing.”

“Do you, uhm… By any chance, have you ever been with a certain Lee Minho?”

Hyunjin’s eyes fluttered open, he had read that name earlier today. He glanced at Jisung; it was subtle, but he had gotten fidgety. Maybe because it sounded like hope, and in a world like the one they were living in, nothing was scarier.

“Can you be more precise?”

“He used to live around here. He has a pic of him and a guy that looks just like you. He had two, no, three cats, before- what were their names again? I can’t remember.”

“Holy fuck, Soonie, Doongie and Dori?”

“Hell yeah!” Jeongin laughed, his smile taking the entirety of his face.

“No fucking way!”

Hyunjin’s hand got crushed in Jisung’s, who was hysterically laughing and smiling. From further away, that Chan guy was looking at them with a weird expression; his eyes said “murder”, but his smile said fondness.

“Hyunjin, you heard that? Holy shit, no wonder you said he’s a tough dude! He would bite back an infected just out of spite! There’s no way I’m not going to that camp too!”

“You won’t find anything,” Chan said. “Stuff like this don’t stand any chance, not in this world. They’re trying to remake how we used to live, but that life is gone forever. All you’ll find is a hundred rotten bodies if you’re lucky.”

“I don’t care about the damn camp, it could be still standing or gone in chaos that I wouldn’t give a royal shit if that means finding Minho.”

“He’s probably dead by now, or he’ll be by the time you get there.”

“Don’t fucking say this!” Jisung spat, a vein popping on his neck.

“You don’t believe a word of what you just said,” Jeongin whispered. Hyunjin could swear that was disappointment on his face.

“You know what? I don’t even know why I’m wasting my energy on those guys; they’re not worth it. Strangers remain strangers, and everyone’s happy.”

He blew out the candle, the room turning pitch black. No one said anything after that, and Hyunjin didn’t feel himself fall asleep- but he did feel Jisung squeezing his body against his, plopping his head on his shoulder. Thank god it was dark, or else Jisung would have been proud of himself for making him smile.


	8. Chapter 8

“You can’t be serious?” Hyunjin asked. “I know you want to find him but, like, how? You don’t even know where he went!”

“I actually do. The camp, like Braceface told us,” Jisung said, ignoring Jeongin’s offended reaction.

“But you don’t know which road he took! Do you think you can just hop on a train and travel through the whole country?”

“Watch your tone."

“Or what?” Hyunjin made a step towards Jisung, a challenging look on his face.

“Okay, guys, let’s not fight?” Jeongin intervened, stepping between the two friends. “We know where he was headed, we can just go there and see if he made it.”

“What do you mean ‘we’?” Chan pushed Jeongin aside.

They talked together, but Hyunjin couldn’t hear a word. All he could see was Jeongin smirking and Chan sighing and rubbing his face with his hands for the nth time. It was distracting enough that it stopped Hyunjin and Jisung’s small feud, who both wanted to know what was going on so close yet so far away. They looked at each other and shrugged at the same time, before smiling at their shared reaction. Jisung made finger guns at him, Hyunjin only gave him a judgmental look.

“You know I’m going, right?” Jisung said. “If there’s a chance, even if it’s almost zero, to find him, there’s no way I’m staying at the cabin.”

“You know I’m going with you right?”

Jisung nodded, looking serious, but suddenly turned around. Hyunjin got concerned, hesitatingly patting his shoulder. He noticed the subtle shaking under his hand. He didn’t know what to do, he wasn’t usually good at dealing with emotions; he had the bad habit of letting them drown him. A part of him was telling him to hug Jisung, to comfort him, the other kept him right on his two feet, only giving reassuring taps and murmuring some ‘there, there’.

In the meantime, Jeongin and Chan were back to them. That made Jisung stopped sobbing rather quickly, though he was betrayed by his puffy eyes and the way his hands would keep rubbing his cheeks and nose.

“So, we’re going too,” Jeongin happily said.

“Only because we wanna help you get to Minho, and though I think you’re both dumbasses, he might be happy to have his man back. It’s not for you, it’s for him, keep that in mind.”

“Of course, daddy wolf, of course!” Jisung elbowed Chan as he laughed, but quickly grew quiet and awkward when he looked at him with a blank face.

Their journey began the following day, when they had made sure they had enough food to last long enough until their next stop. Chan had taken more time to get ready, but they had sort of understood not to annoy the guy (not that they really wanted to anyway, Hyunjin could almost see the intimidating aura coming from him). He looked cold enough that none of them tried to fight back when he decided for the four of them that it would be better to take the small roads rather than the highway.

Jisung and Hyunjin were following Jeongin, who was leading the way, a huge map in his hands displayed in such a way he seemed to have disappeared behind the paper. Chan stayed behind them, looking like a bodyguard with his all-black outfit and furrowed brows. Hyunjin wondered if he looked so annoyed because they had had to take a detour by Jisung’s cabin so he could “properly say goodbye” (and also bring his rifle along, “just in case”). 

Talking of him, Hyunjin could now easily see how Jisung would be masking his emotions with a veil of playfulness. His laughter and jokes sounded almost forced, and maybe the way he would alternate between not saying a word while staring into the distance to being overly talkative was a hint of his feelings; almost like he was trying to make him feel forget about his thoughts by filling the crushing silence. Hyunjin wouldn’t dare ask, not with their new mates right next to them, but he was almost certain that Jisung was in a mixed-feelings state. Himself had had to leave all he had known to go meet the unknown, leaving behind memories and people. He thought of Kkami, his mom and dad. It all felt so long ago, he could hardly believe it was all in the same life as the one he was living. Maybe it wasn’t, in a way.

Hyunjin’s deep reflexion got forcefully stopped by Jisung ruffling his hair and holding him by the shoulder.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself, thinking that hard.”

He elbowed Jisung, who dramatically fell to his knees, rolling on the floor like he was suffering from a wound slowly killing him. Hyunjin snorted and rolled his eyes, shaking his head as Jeongin joined him, laughing as well. He didn’t even try to look behind them to see Chan’s reaction.

They kept on walking, talking here and there about everything and anything, though it was mostly Jisung filling the awkward silences with -not so good- puns and fun facts that, after thinking about it, weren’t that _fun_ per se. Sometimes, Chan would ask him if he ever shut up, to which Jisung would answer by flipping him off with his pinky finger.

After a few weeks of walking like this, sleeping in abandoned countryside houses or in the wild, exchanging roles to always have someone keeping an eye out on the group, and raiding small buildings for goods, food and water; the atmosphere had become almost domestic. Hyunjin could swear that sometimes, _sometimes,_ Chan would slightly smile before turning back to his intimidating self (one time, he even saw him trying to hold in a laugh after one of Jisung’s jokes). To be fair, Jisung and Hyunjin had agreed that Chan looked the sweetest and kindest when he was looking at Jeongin. There always was that underlying softness each time he’d touch him, whether it was to pat his back or pinch his cheeks (or, as surprising as it had been the first time, slap his butt).

Something changed after their small new year’s party. They found a house in quite a good shape and settled for a few days. Hyunjin’s feet were hurting a bit, and they were all pretty much exhausted from their journey. They definitely needed a small break. It was Jeongin who started talking about the new year.

“Hey guys, I think we missed Christmas”, he said.

“Christm-, how can you even know? Do you keep track?” Chan asked, taken aback.

“We can literally make the rules. If we want to celebrate the new year, what’s stopping us? The biters?”

“I agree with Braceface,” Jisung said. “Fuck time, we do whatever we want, right?”

Hyunjin giggled. It hadn’t even crossed his mind, to do a new year’s party. He had forgotten he had once celebrated it. He used to like it, the countdown and fireworks were always nice. He liked celebrating Seollal more, but he wouldn’t say no to any kind of party, not in this world. The only downside was that it made him think about time passing, and how much he missed his family and friends.

And maybe drinking alcohol wasn’t their best idea so far. It made things a bit funnier, that was for sure, but it remained a bit stupid. Though when Hyunjin sobered up later, he was thankful they had caulked the windows and locked all the doors; no lights could be seen from the outside and the noise was muffled enough that they wouldn’t attract anyone that was not already in the house’s surroundings. 

They had fun sharing a can of beans and pretending it was a five-star menu. They shared some memories of a time and of people that would be forgotten if they weren’t there to talk about it; they laughed, sometimes bitterly but mostly wholeheartedly. Jokes and (bad) puns had been made, and as he gulped down the liquor, Hyunjin’s head felt fuzzier and fuzzier. His soft giggles turned into snorts that made him sound like a pig, before becoming an evil witch screech. Jisung would laugh at him, before putting a finger on his lips and going ‘shhh’.

Jeongin was drinking too, though he was finishing his glass way slower than both him and Jisung, and it looked like he was under Chan’s supervision (was this one not drinking? It seemed his glass had never been emptied once).

When midnight was right around the corner, the three tipsy boys were staring at Hyunjin’s watch, making a countdown for the countdown. They whispered-yelled the true countdown, clapping and hugging when midnight struck. Chan only hugged Jeongin, but he did fist-bump the other two.

After a while and a lot of talking, Jisung eventually fell asleep. Jeongin followed not long after, loudly snoring. Hyunjin still felt a bit drunk, there was no point denying that, yet he didn’t seem to be able to find sleep. He looked towards Jeongin’s side of the room, and saw Chan lying next to him, almost cuddling him to sleep. Everyone was sleeping, except for him. It suddenly felt very lonely.

He got up and went out, carefully unlocking the door without making too much noise. Once outside, he was hit by the cold air of what they decided was now the very first day of January. He sat on the porch, looking at the other small houses not too far away, some were falling apart. In that small village, they were mostly surrounded by fields. He assumed there used to be animals, like cows or something, but things must have happened to them. Mh. Hyunjin was now definitely sad.

He deeply sighed, sniffling, and cleaning his runny nose with his sleeve. He wished the world hadn’t gone to shit. He hated it back then, but now there was nothing he wouldn’t do to have to go to school again, and to hear his mom nagging him to do his homework.

Well, Hyunjin had always been a sensitive boy. He didn’t know if that was a relief or not, that the end of the world hadn’t changed that. It was a bit weird, to be crying in the middle of the night in an unknown village with probably a dozen zombies wandering about.

He jumped a bit when the door opened behind his back; still, he faintly waved when he saw Chan. The guy sat right next to him.

“It’s weird, right,” Chan said, chuckling a bit.

“What?”

“Everything.”

Hyunjin snorted.

“Yeah, yeah it is. I’m sorry,” he brushed the tears away, “my mind’s still a bit foggy.”

“That’s alright, kid. Need some sound?”

“What do you mean?”

“You look like you need someone to ramble to shut whatever’s happening in your head up.”

“Oh. Yeah, I wouldn’t mind that, thanks.”

Chan patted his head and started talking. He talked about lots of things; he talked about koalas and kangaroos (how and why did he know so much about them?), there was a huge chunk about animes that Hyunjin didn’t really listen to because he hadn’t watched those, and then he had a debate with himself about ultra rock paper scissors. Hyunjin made a mental note to never play that game with Chan.

“But I don’t understand how the gun beats the fire, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“The whole game doesn’t make any sense,” Hyunjin snorted. “None of what you said make sense, who the fuck even plays ultra rock paper scissors?”

“Who knows? At least it worked; look at you, mocking me. You should be ashamed.”

Hyunjin glanced at him, a bit wary, before noticing how Chan had giggled. He sounded like a baby; it was the first time he looked cute instead of rather scary.

“Okay hulk, sure thing.” He laughed before getting up and brushing the dirt off his trousers. “We should have some sleep, tomorrow’s gonna be a pain in the ass.”

“Can’t wait for y’all to have headaches all day long.”

From that day on, Chan didn’t look as impressive as before. He still was, just a bit less. Hyunjin was convinced that, with time, they would find a whole new person under that mask of coldness; that same person that was always looking out for Jeongin, but for them too though it wasn’t as obvious.

It took them two days to be ready to hit the road again. The mood was lighter, or maybe it was just the consequences of that tipsy bonding time, but there definitely was something. The quiet moments didn’t feel as awkward, and their laughter weren’t as shy. It could very well be the constant feeling of emergency that comes with trying to survive amongst cannibalistic monsters, that sort of forces you to bond with others. Hyunjin had no true answer.

They were having fun playing song association when Chan urged them to stop and hide, pointing at a group of zombies walking towards them. Jeongin showed a seven with his fingers. They exchanged looks, all agreeing on the same thing: they could kill them easily. So, they jumped out and walked towards the infected, ready to attack. It was quite easy and effective, each of them killing one before getting ready to kill another right behind. What they didn’t expect, though, was for the infected to duck and fight back.


	9. Chapter 9

“What the hell?!” he heard someone mutter, he thought it was most likely Chan.

Hyunjin didn’t even have time to react. One second, he was ready to throw his axe right into that living dead’s head, and the second, his arm was bent in an unnatural way, eyes widening when he realized how _alive_ that rotter looked. And before he could even say or do anything, hardly processing what had just happened, everything went black.

When he came back to his senses, his head hurt like he had been hammered to death. His brain could have turned into mush, he wasn’t sure he’d feel the difference. Every blink was painful, and there was that buzzing sound that lowkey made him want to tear his ears off. That felt like the worst hungover ever.

He gave a quick look at his surroundings. It was dark and judging by the bright moon that he could see through the tiny window, it was night-time. There were bars, a lot of them actually. He had never seen one in real life before, but there was no way that wasn’t a prison cell.

“Hyunjin? You’re awake?”

He might have been out of it, but he would still recognize that voice among many.

“Jisung? Are you okay?” He asked, trying to crawl towards him but stopping as soon as pain shot in his ankle. So, he was chained, too. Yeah, that was just _ideal_.

“Oh my fucking god Hyunjin, I hate you, I thought you were dead!”

“I kinda wish I was, my head hurts like crazy. What happened? Where are the others?”

“It’s just great ya know, ‘cause I have absolutely no idea. We were killing those infected like easy peasy and then boom, mine legit ducked and knocked me out. Woke up handcuffed and my head in a bag.”

“At least it was still attached to your neck.”

Jisung snorted. 

“True.”

“You never shut up, do you?” Someone else asked.

Hyunjin looked around, his eyes now somewhat used to the dim light. There was a silhouette in the cell in front of theirs, sitting against the brick wall. Whoever that was looked right at him.

“You should sleep,” they said. “You’ll need it.”

“That’s ominous, any more information?” Jisung said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah. I hope you know how to fight. Now, stop talking.”

Jisung rolled his eyes, but Hyunjin seriously nodded. There was something peculiar about that stranger. In the darkness of the room, they looked juvenile; innocent even, but there was something in their voice that made Hyunjin worry about that they were supposed to do here. Hyunjin wasn’t able to fall asleep, and judging by Jisung’s constant motion, he wasn’t the only one. So, he lied down on the concrete and looked at the tiny window, hoping Jeongin and Chan were safe.

It was only when the sun was out that he went to look at this watch, only realizing now it was missing. He thought it was stupid, how much his heart sank at not having it anymore. It was only a watch, yet it felt like the world was collapsing. He stared at his naked wrist for way too long, letting it fall against his body. He didn’t know what time it was. He was lost. He had lost so much these last months, these last years, but he had never lost track of time.

He was about to cry when a loud creaking sound woke everyone up; if they had fallen asleep to begin with. Hyunjin straightened up, his back immediately hurting from lying on the ground. He winced, his hand rubbing his lower back. A guy threw some food in their cell, with a bowl of dirty water, most of it spilling on the ground.

“Can you tell us what the hell we’re doing here?” Jisung asked, standing up.

“No talking.”

“What do you mean no talking? Answer me, dickhead!”

The guy grabbed Jisung’s collar through the bars, making his face hit them. Hyunjin looked at the scene, scared shitless of how dark and menacing that person’s eyes were.

“No. Talking.”

He dropped Jisung and went out, slamming the huge door on his way out. Hyunjin jumped, before trying to get nearer to his friend, ignoring how the chains would dig up a little into his skin when he’d pull on them.

“You’re alright?”

Jisung nodded, rubbing his cheek with one hand.

“That was dumb, you know that, right?” Hyunjin asked.

“I guess dumb bitch disease is still spreading.”

Sow claps echoed in the cold cells.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed first, congrats,” their neighbour from across said, voice so low it sounded like they were whispering.

“Listen you fucking Navi looking ass, now that it’s day-time, you’re gonna tell us where we are or what?” Jisung spat, his fingers turning white around the bars.

“A’ight,” they stretched and yawned, before sitting facing them. “Consider yourselves gladiators.”

Jisung laughed. Hyunjin just stayed there, not sure how to react.

“And who are we fighting?” he asked.

“Walkers, usually.”

Jisung’s laughter turned hysterical like he was completely losing his mind.

“What the fuck”, he managed to say, now crying laughing.

Hyunjin stopped talking. He went back to his corner, sitting upright against the bricks. He brought his legs against his chest, his thumbs playing with his shoelaces. He had heard enough to know he was in a messed-up situation, one he had no idea how to get out of.

It was not even the idea of having to fight against zombies for the sole purpose of entertaining some weird dudes, but really that he had no idea how Chan and Jeongin were doing and that each day that passed in there, was a day lost to looking for Minho. He had guessed Jisung had laughed so hard just to hide how he was truly feeling, and it made him feel awful.

The latter had turned his back on him, in a similar position to his.

“Jisung?”

No answer. Not even a look. He didn’t insist. Instead, he stared at what was supposed to be food (though it didn’t look like it was edible at all) and, after a while, decided to eat it. It tasted of paper, but crunchier. He drank a bit, too, gagging at the taste and look of the water. He wasn’t even sure that was safe to drink, but it was better than dying of dehydration. The raw rabbit he had eaten in the forest a few months ago tasted worse, after all.

That night, that same huge guy from earlier came back with another one, this time leaving with Jisung tied up in ropes and a blindfold over his eyes.

From there, started a long wait.


	10. Chapter 10

Hyunjin waited for days, or maybe more. He wasn’t too sure. The day and the night were starting to blend like a never-ending loop. He could very well be losing his mind that he wouldn’t really notice it. Sometimes, his neighbour would leave with a guard for the whole night, sometimes not coming back after a few days. In that case, they were often covered in bandages when they were back. He never dared ask them if they had been doing whatever was happening in that hell circus. There was only that one question burning his lips each day: was Jisung okay? He never asked, either.

One evening, when the sun was low in the sky, a guard came to his cell. Without a word, they unlocked it and handcuffed him, as well as covering his eyes. Right before being forced to blindness, he met that other person’s eyes. He couldn’t describe it, but it felt like they thought he was going to die soon. Hyunjin promised to himself that no matter was waiting for him, he wouldn’t give them right.

He walked and stumbled on his own feet for so long that he wondered if they weren’t just planning on getting him lost in the woods, but then he heard noises. Voices and cheers, to be more precise. It sounded like a whole party was going on.

After a whole lot of stumbling and weird metallic sounds, his hands were freed, and the blindfold was taken off his face. When he looked behind him, the door was locked. He was standing in a tiny room, a metal gate in front of him. The sounds were muffled, but he could hear people cheering and clapping, and some sort of MC announced what was coming next.

“And now, what you’ve all waited for… Please cheer for our latest recruit!”

The gate opened, and suddenly everything became loud. He didn’t want to walk out; he could see the sandy ground and the fences around. Yet, his feet moved on their own, leading him to the centre of what seemed like a modern-day arena. It was round, fences high enough he couldn’t climb them, and a crowd was sitting all around, torches being their main source of light. Right in front of him, a bit higher up than the others, was sitting a man he hated as soon as he saw him. Everything was made to make him look like the King, but to Hyunjin he barely was the jester. He looked at him straight in the eye, not lowering his gaze. The guy tilted his head and smirked.

“How cute!” the MC cooed, before laughing and looking at the crowd again. “What should we do? Should he fight?” The crowd screamed, some even whistled. “I knew you’d say that!” he joked. “Let’s see how he does, then!”

Another gate opened, making Hyunjin turned around. Two walkers entered the arena, walking towards him. He looked around, looking for a weapon or something, if they wanted him to fight then they would have left things for him to do so, right?

But there was nothing. The crowd was calmer, now. All eyes were on him, waiting for his next move. It felt like they were all waiting for him to die, like they all had that sick desire to see him get eaten alive right in front of their eyes, guts, and blood gushing out.

He pushed the first living dead away from him, still wondering how he could kill two of them with his bare hands. So, he analysed the situation. One looked fresh, the other was already quite decayed. It should be easier to kill that one.

He focused on that one, moving fast enough to avoid its teeth but slow enough he could make it follow him away from the second one, that he kept pushing away with more and more strength each time. And when he deemed the timing right enough, he grabbed the zombie’s greasy hair and pulled hard on it, only half-surprised when the scalp detached from the skull in a wet sound. That wouldn’t do.

He pushed the fresher one once more, hard enough to make it fall like a log. The zombie grunted; its ankle was twisted enough to show the bone. Hyunjin pulled on the dead’s arm, ripping it off from the body. He used it as a gag, shoving it into the zombie’s jaw. Then, he just started beating the shit out of it, his fist repeatedly hitting the leather-like skin. The skull underneath still hurt his knuckles, but at the same time seeing the skin sunken after each hit like it was melting felt rewarding. So rewarding, in fact, that he even forgot about the second walker.

He was reminded of it when he saw it almost biting his arm, startling him and triggering his fight-or-flight response. With both of his hands on its chest, he pushed the zombie until it hit the fence, ignoring how its hands were trying to grab him, but barely scratching his clothes. He looked behind him and held in a sigh of relief upon seeing how the rotten one had somehow broken a leg and had fallen to the ground, hardly pulling itself on the sand with just one hand. That gave him plenty of time to figure this one out.

Hyunjin grabbed its jaw, forcing it close. Maybe he could dislocate it? That would make it easier to break it then, because there was no way he would try to just punch it like that. Hyunjin was maybe a bit dumb, but he knew better than to punch a jaw.

With his elbow, he aimed for the bone, and winced at the pain but kept on hitting. Maybe the zombie was more decayed than he thought, because he heard a ‘pop’ sound as its jaw fell open. He put his two hands into its mouth, the corner of its lips tearing slightly apart from the pressure and pulled down on the bone as hard as he could, himself screaming while doing so.

It did take a bit of strength, and either he was stronger than he thought or that was the adrenaline kicking in, but he managed to just pull half of that zombie’s face off.

“Oh my fucking god,” he whispered to himself.

He then walked up to the crawling corpse, stomping its head until it was just a mixture of broken bones and brain tissue.

“What a great messy fight, but tell me, is that enough?” The MC asked, looking at their chief. The man just stared at Hyunjin in silence, before nodding and gesturing to the guards to get him out.

The cuffs and blindfold were back, leaving him no choice but to follow. He was then put on a chair, and a new voice asked the guards to step out. Judging by the footsteps and the sound of a door getting shut told Hyunjin they had obeyed.

“Hi,” the voice said. “I’m doctor Kim. I will be taking care of you today. There is no need to try and attack me or run away, since guards are waiting for you outside and will kill you if you try anything stupid,” the guy continued, talking in a monotonous voice like it was a speech he just knew by heart. “I’m guessing you are a new recruit; you don’t seem to be in my files. Can I have a name? Pronouns maybe?”

“No.”

There was a pause in which he only heard the doctor tsk-ed.

“Alright. Nice to meet you, No. I will examine you to make sure you weren’t badly hurt in your fight. If it is the case, well, I think you would have told me, but I would also provide you with the best care. No need to hide a bite mark, I _will_ see it if there is one.”

“What about me being blindfolded and literally handcuffed?” Hyunjin asked, his patience wearing thin to hear someone act so... normal in such a situation.

“It’s the protocol.”

“Fuck you.”

“Fair enough.”

The doctor proceeded to examine his whole body, checking everywhere for any bite marks or scratches, humming a song to himself as he did so. Hyunjin couldn’t see a thing, but he could very well feel the wet cotton on his hands and the tingling pain that followed. Yep, that was alcohol. That meant his hands had suffered a bit, which was to be expected. He then felt something cold, that he guessed was probably cream, before his hands were wrapped up.

“Not too tight?”

Hyunjin only shook his head no.

“Well, you’re all patched up. I will guide you to your cell, now.”

The doctor took his arm, and Hyunjin followed. The guy said to the guards he would take care of bringing him to his cell, since it was on his way anyway. The guards must have had great trust in him because they let them go. He was more careful than the guards, but it was still a pain in the ass to be dragged around like some slave.

“You know I’m a bit surprised you survived your first fight, and with such minor injuries. Most don’t. How many you had to fight?”

Hyunjin sighed. He didn’t want to do small talk. But he thought that… Maybe if he faked being all nice and cooperative, he could use the guy to get Jisung and him out, as well as Chan and Jeongin if they were there. So, he talked.

“Two.”

“Only two? Didn’t he make you fight again? Well, I’m even more surprised. You must be special.”

“Why so?”

“I don’t know. Boss must have seen something in you. Most people don’t fight in impressive ways, I guess. I’m not sure. I’ve never been to the show, I hate the idea.”

Hyunjin didn’t answer. They must have been near the cells anyway, because the other guy didn’t ask anything else. Hyunjin was back in his cell around five minutes later, finally free of his cuffs and blindfold. Interestingly enough, the doctor stayed there.

“Hi, Lix,” he heard him whisper.

Hyunjin wasn’t the kind to eavesdrop, but what else could he do when he was locked behind bars with no other distraction than what they were talking about right in front of him? He couldn’t hear everything, but he managed to understand most of it.

“It’s been a while, I thought you had forgotten about me,” his cellmate said.

“Nah, never. Lots of work, some new guy…,” Hyunjin tried not to sigh when he couldn’t hear a single thing right when it was interesting.

“Is he alright?”

“Yeah, he’ll be, he’ll be. How’s your wrist?”

The conversation had turned casual. Hyunjin’s head lightly hit the hard wall as he mentally complained. Maybe he could, you know, just ask? If his cellmate was having a very normal, even affectionate, conversation with that guy, then maybe he wasn’t as much an enemy as the others? He quickly thought about it but decided to remain silent. He needed to keep a low profile to gain their trust, and then he would be able to do _anything_. His self-talk got interrupted by the sound of the door closing shut.

“I know you listened,” they said. “You made a terrible job at pretending you weren’t.”

They laughed a little and maybe Hyunjin needed to hear that, because it strangely lifted his mood. But it also made him kind of sad. He didn’t know what to say, so he just laughed a bit as well.

“I mean, what else do you want me to do?” he said.

“I wasn’t accusing you. Seungmin told me you did well on your first show. Congrats, I guess. If the big dude likes you, it’ll get easier for you.”

“Hey, does your friend know what happened to Jisung?”

“I was waiting for that question,” they yawned. “He’s okay, he just learnt his lesson the hard way. Told you to shut up, after all. Anyway. I’ll sleep a bit.” They lied down on a worn-out mat, looking at him. “Your small guy’s gonna be back soon, no need to make those sad puppy eyes.”

Hyunjin looked at the dark night sky. He let himself fall asleep only because he hoped that, maybe, it was all a weird dream that he still hadn’t woken up from.


	11. Chapter 11

It was the clinking of chains that woke Hyunjin up the next day. His eyelids were heavy, and he had trouble keeping his eyes open, yet he sat upright when he saw that it was Jisung making all that noise. He was walking, chains on his ankles and hands, surrounded by two guards guiding him since he had been deprived of his sight. Hyunjin got excited for a second, until he saw them walk by his cell, and pushing Jisung into another one. He couldn’t see him, but he heard the thump his body made as it fell onto the ground, followed almost instantly by a tiny groan. He met eyes with _Lix_ , as he had heard Seungmin call them, who was lucky enough to be on the other side and have view on both cells. Judging by the look on their face, Hyunjin wasn’t quite reassured. He waited until it was just them, to run up to the thick wall separating him from Jisung.

“Jisung? How are you doing?” he asked, before mentally scolding himself for asking such a dumb question. “I missed you.”

He waited for an answer, or a sound, anything. All he heard was what sounded like Jisung probably trying to find a comfortable position in his cell.

“Tell me something? Anything? Please, just that I know you’re somewhat okay?”

He looked at his neighbour from across, who gestured to him that Jisung was sleeping (or pretending to, Hyunjin thought). He nodded, sitting against the wall. Hyunjin couldn’t really tell how much time had passed since he had arrived here, he hadn’t even tried to keep count to begin with, but he knew that it was already too much. He couldn’t be sure to what extent Jisung had suffered, but knowing his friend, the silence treatment could only mean one thing: they had bent him until he was broken. He hoped he was wrong, that Jisung was only exhausted, but how to be sure when even Lix had said he would die back then? He needed a plan to get out of here as soon as possible.

In the meantime, he kept the façade of the well-behaved boy who listens to his captors. They kept sending him to fight, and he kept on going in that arena more and more rage fuelled. This caused everyone to cheer louder and louder each time it was his turn, and every damn time he looked at the chief, he wished he could just cut that smirk off that face. Instead, he would bow at him. Each fight became more violent. Hyunjin made sure to always make a bloodshed.

“Ready for tonight, Hyunjin?” Felix asked him, faintly smiling.

“Always am.”

Hyunjin wasn’t sure how he and Felix had become some sort of friends, maybe a bit less than that, more like fellow sufferers, but he appreciated it. It was nice, to feel like someone was understanding him. Maybe it was the fact they were in the same boat, together. Living in prison and having to fight for your life multiple times a week surely creates bonding, doesn’t it?

It had started the day Jisung came back. While Jisung was loudly snoring, Hyunjin and Felix had talked. A lot. One would even say overshared. He had learnt that _Lix_ was softer than they had made them believe until now, and that their name was actually short for Felix. Not a name he had been expecting, but it suited the person.

And like it seemed it was natural and human reflexes; both had talked about the past. Hyunjin had talked about Kkami, and how he wished he would have been able to find him before it was too late, and about the guy he would always buy food from after school each Tuesday. He hoped he was doing okay, though deep down he had mourned all the people he used to know already. Felix talked about their family, and their sisters they had loved so much they would sometimes still talk to them, as if, somehow, they would hear them, much like a prayer. It felt like getting to know each other, while also feeling like they already knew everything. Everyone have their own story, but in a world like they were living in, they all follow the same common thread.

And when the guards came to take him, like they would always do, Hyujin looked at Felix and smiled. And maybe they had been a bit taken aback, judging by the slight confusion readable on their face, because that smile was so big and bright, it seemed coming from another time, or maybe another planet. Hyunjin was fully aware of this; but semi-unconsciously he needed that sweetness in a life of violence, just to be sure he wouldn’t lose himself completely.

And when the blindfold came, he started counting. Counting every step that he was forced to make, trying to feel whether they were dragging him in a straight line, or rather turning left or right. He focused on how his body moved, hoping that if he lost count then he could try to rely on muscle memory. And when it was show time, he looked at the crowd who was loudly cheering for him, giving him nicknames he found absolutely ridiculous. And mostly, he looked at the one who was sitting as if he were King.

“Sir, you’ve seen me fight already, you know what I’m capable of. May I become one of your people?” he asked.

The crowd grew silent, all eyes turning on their boss, waiting for an answer. He turned to his guards, instead of replying to Hyunjin directly, like he didn’t deserve to be talked to.

“Test him”, he simply said, before finally looking at Hyunjin. “We’ll see if you have what it takes to be one of our soldiers. You know how to kill the undead, but it won’t be enough. For now, entertain me.”

He snapped his fingers, and the guards threw a wooden bat at him, seconds before the gate opened, freeing more walkers that he had had to fight in that arena before. He cussed under his breath, panic slowly rising in him. He was doomed. There was no way, even with a weapon, he’d be able to kill them all. That was a run or die situation, but there was nowhere to run to.

Then, it hit him. They wanted guts, they wanted gore, he would give them what they asked for. He ran up to the first zombie, smashing its skull as hard as he could with the bat, before dragging the body where he had a bit more time to get ready. He hit the zombie’s torso with his weapon, hoping to at least break bones and tear the skin open; which he did though it was last second. He quickly turned to hit that walker that was way too close to him for his liking, pushing him onto another and making them fall like dominos. That was exactly what he needed. He buried his hands in the decayed body, taking outs guts and blood that he then splashed on himself. The smell was horrendous, worse than what he was used to, and it made him gag a bit, but he still hid the life with the smell of death.

And when he stood up, facing the other living dead, they ignored him like he was one of them. He was almost holding his breath, both because of the smell and the fear. He then slowly turned around, looking at everyone behind the fences.

“Is that entertaining enough?” he asked, his voice sounding like the zombies’ throaty grunting.


	12. Chapter 12

That time, Seungmin let him shower after the show; a rare occurrence that Hyunjin couldn’t refuse. The water was cold, but at least he was clean. Cleaner than he had been in years. He realized the luxury these people were living in, while the rest of the world was struggling against walkers; and him, Felix and Jisung were behind bars, having just enough food and water to not pass out.

When he brought him back to his cell, like he would always do instead of the guards, Hyunjin asked him to see Jisung for a short while before going back to his own cell. Seungmin seemed to hesitate, but ended up saying yes since, well, he was “already breaking the rules anyway”.

That’s how Hyunjin found himself hugging Jisung so tight, it felt they hadn’t seen each other in months. Hyunjin was a bit squashed in Jisung’s arms, but the feeling was warm and welcomed. It was most likely he was doing the very same, both of his hands lying flat on Jisung’s back, holding him as if he was holding on to dear life.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“Now, yes, I am,” Jisung said in a weak voice. He sounded slightly… different. Like he was in pain, or like he wasn’t able to properly form every sound. Yeah, Jisung was talking like he had an odd lisp.

“What did they do to you?”

Hyunjin’s voice was tinted with worry, and his thumb was drawing tiny circles on his friend’s hand. Jisung humourlessly chuckled.

“What I deserved, I guess.”

Hyunjin gently pulled down Jisung’s chin, forcing his mouth open. His brows were furrowed, but his face fell into a sad and defeated expression when he noticed the _change_. Where there used to be a tongue remained a half-empty spot, the remaining sitting pathetically at the back of the mouth. It wasn't a clean job; the cut was jagged and crooked but at least the stitches were professionally done. Jisung closed his mouth, eyes darting to the side as if he was ashamed.

“Don’t say anything, please, it hurts enough,” he whispered.

Hyunjin didn’t even know what to say anyway. All he did was going through a rollercoaster of emotions before settling on boiling anger.

“You know what? You know fucking what?” Hyunjin started muttering, fists rolled up so tight they were shaking. “I’ll get us out of here soon, and I’ll burn this place down, they will all pay, I swear to fucking God Jisung. We’ll find Minho, and you’ll be so damn happy.”

“It’s alright Hyunjin. It’s okay.”

“I’ll make things alright. That’s a promise.”

“I trust you.”

Hyunjin nodded, lips pursed, and hugged Jisung. Jisung’s hand grabbed onto his shirt, and all he could do was hug the boy tighter when he heard him choke on a sob. Hyunjin looked up and met eyes with Seungmin. All he felt as he stared at the doctor was anger, more than ever before.

“You,” he spat, leaving Jisung’s side and grabbing Seungmin’s collar until his back met a wall. “It’s your fucking fault. You told Felix he was okay! Does a cut off tongue look okay to you? Do you want your tongue cut off too? Mh?”

“I only said he would be alright, meaning he wouldn’t die. I didn’t say anything else,” Seungmin replied, unfazed.

“Were you there when it happened?”

“Why are you asking me if you sound so sure of it?”

“Were you there? Answer me!”

“Hyunjin, you should calm down,” Felix calmly said, standing next to them.

Seungmin sighed and licked his lips, his fingers fidgeting with his white blouse. He opened his mouth and closed it without saying a word, before regaining composure. 

“I was.”

Hyunjin’s hand flew in the air, the slapping sound echoing in the cold cells. 

“You’re just like them.”

And before anyone could say anything, Hyunjin grabbed Seungmin’s keys from his pocket, and went back to Jisung, freeing the boy. He took his hand and pushed Seungmin away, who was trying to get the two of them back in their cells.

“You can’t just go out like this, it’s too dangerous!” Seungmin said.

“We need a plan!” Felix added, grabbing Hyunjin by the shoulders. “Stop acting stupid for a second!”

Hyunjin shook his shoulder to get their hands off him, but he still calmed down. He looked at them and nodded.

“Any idea then?”

“Well, uh, I, no, but,”

“Wrong,” Hyunjin cut them off.

“I have one,” Jisung intervened, standing against the frame of his cell. “We could pretend to be sick, maybe we could play dead after a while, and doctor Kim could take us out.”

Seungmin eyes went wide before he smiled.

“That’s genius! I’ll take Felix to the infirmary; the news will spread. Hyunjin, you’re supposed to fight tomorrow, act sick when they’ll come.”

“How can I know you will come back for us?” Hyunjin crossed his arms on his chest.

“He will,” Felix said. “You will stay together, I promise you.”

He thought about it for a second. If Seungmin was a bit sketchy, he trusted Felix more. He looked at Jisung, his body that had become skinnier than it already used to be, and his dark circles under his eyes, and shook Felix’s hand to seal the deal.

“Okay.”

Hyunjin and Jisung went back to their cells, acting as if nothing happened, while Seungmin poured some water over Felix to make them look like they were damped in sweat. Thankfully, they were already looking a bit sick to begin with and the dirty clothes and hair really wasn’t helping – well, in that case, it actually was.

Then, the waiting started. Hyunjin winced when he heard Jisung forcing himself to puke on the other side of the wall. The sound almost made him gag too.

“You okay?” he still asked, worried about his healing mouth wounds.

“It’s all bile, ‘burns.”

Hyunjin was somehow waiting for Jisung to end on a joking note, maybe a “business is business” would fit, but his friend remained silent. He brought his legs up to his chest and sighed. He was tired of seeing good people get hurt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I haven't updated in forever. January was a bit of a busy month, and I just kept on editing and editing this chapter without ever liking it, lmao. I settled on that version, though, and well... Things are about to happen, it seems :D<   
> Ah, also I did do some researches for Jisung, but the ff might still contain medical inaccuracies (oopsie?). Sorry about that  
> Hope y'all are okay xx


End file.
